McSweeney Man

In a world drowning in footage of Britney Spears' meltdowns, blogrolls of Tiger Woods' mistresses and fawning Brangelina features, how does a writer contrive to say anything new about celebrity in America?
Simple! If you're proud Miami New Times alum Ben Greenman -- now an acclaimed author and editor at The New Yorker -- you sub the celebrities into lead roles in Anton Chekhov's most famous short stories. The result, Celebrity Chekhov, is a surprisingly poignant collection that adapts the Russian great's insights for our most tabloid-worthy neighbors.
Greenman, who is known for his McSweeney's writing and previous novels like 2009's Please Step Back, also released a collection of short fiction called What She's Poised To Do earlier this year.
Sun., Nov. 21, 2 p.m., 2010